how long does it take a lawyer to draft a patent

by Tom Stokes 7 min read

2 to 4 weeks

How long does it take to draft a patent application?

Once you or your attorney has completed the patent search and the search did not turn up inventions that are the same or similar to yours, it’s time to start drafting your patent application. Typically, an attorney will spend 1 week to 4 weeks drafting your patent application.

How long do you own a patent?

Once approved, you own the legal rights to your patent for 20 years. You can also sell or license your patent to third parties. These third parties need: Before filing a patent, find an experienced patent attorney. He or she will help you with: During this step, you search for patents like yours.

Why is my patent taking so long to get approved?

Your patent is taking long because at any given moment, the USPTO has a backlog of hundreds of thousands of pending patent application. As of June 2019, the patent office has 553,756 pending patent application and only 8,174 patent examiners to examine the applications.

How long does it take to complete a patentability search?

First, if you choose to have a patentability search performed by our office, that generally takes 1 to 3 weeks to complete, depending on the volume of search results and the workload at the time.

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How long does it take to draft a patent?

about 30 to 40 hoursHowever, most patent applications take about 30 to 40 hours to draft. This estimate includes the initial inventor interview when the patent attorney interviews the inventor to learn as much as possible about the invention.

How much does drafting a patent cost?

A patent attorney will usually charge between $8,000 and $10,000 for a patent application, but the cost can be higher. In most cases, you should budget between $15,000 and $20,000 to complete the patenting process for your invention.

Why does it take so long to get a patent?

Why does it take so long to get a patent? A patent may take years to secure because the steps to secure the patent are time-consuming, including patentability searching, preparing a patent application, and waiting for the patent office to work through its backlog before it examines your patent application.

Does a poor man's patent hold up in court?

Even under the old system, i.e., the “first to invent” system, a “poor man's patent” standing alone, i.e, without a patent application, was worthless. You cannot access the court system and ask a judge or a jury to enforce a right that the U.S. Government does not even recognize as a right.

How much is a 20 year patent?

$20,000 to $60,000The full cost of obtaining and maintaining a U.S. patent over 20 years is in the range of $20,000 to $60,000. This sum is influenced by the type of technology being patented; the number of claims and drawings included in the application; the number and nature of rejections from USPTO; filing fees, etc.

How tough is it to get a patent?

If easy means getting a patent without any rejections, then only 11% of utility nonprovisional patent applications get allowed without any rejections according to this Yale statistical study. So getting a utility patent will not be easy in most cases.

What percentage of patent applications are approved?

The number of patents that are approved changes every year. According to the most recent statistics from the USPTO, approximately 52% of all patents filed in the U.S are approved.

How difficult is the patent process?

Without question, getting a patent is an involved process, even a hard process. Many people hire a patent agent to guide them through difficult spots and argue for them regarding rejection lists.

How long does it take to draft a patent?

Drafting a Patent Application (2 to 4 weeks) If the search turns up nothing, you're ready to draft a patent application. For a patent attorney, this usually takes 2 to 4 weeks depending on the volume of work, type of patent, information from the applicant, and any changes necessary.

How long does it take to get a patent approved?

It usually takes between 32 and 34 months for an application to get approved. This includes final rulings such as allowance (acceptance) and abandonment. Abandonment is when the applicant chooses to no longer pursue the patent. Some patents take longer to approve than others.

What is a patent pending?

Patents that have been filed but not yet approved have patent-pending status. You can use your pending patent to make, sell, and license the product during this time. The patent in question must describe and cover all elements of your invention to meet a patent-pending status. However, others might hold a similar patent pending. This gives them legal recourse to prevent you from making and selling the invention. To avoid this situation, perform a right-to-use search before marketing, making, or selling your invention.

What is track one patent?

Track One is a prioritized type of patent application. It's only available to plant and utility inventions. When filing for Track One, you must pay a bigger fee. The USPTO tries to complete its examination of Track One applications in as little as 12 months.

How long does a patent pending last?

Sometimes, you might have to file a Request for Continuing Examination or a Continuation Application. This might mean your patent pending status could last five to six years.

What happens when you file an invention?

Once you file, your invention will have patent-pending status. When drafting an application, make anyone that sees the invention sign a nondisclosure agreement. Once your file your application with the USPTO, a provisional or nonprovisional application will affect how long it takes for acceptance.

How long does it take to file a PCT?

It just allows you to file a single patent application one time to flow through several countries. Within 30 to 31 months, you must file a patent application with each country's patent office.

How long does it take to get a patent?

First, if you choose to have a patentability search performed by our office, that generally takes 1 to 3 weeks to complete, depending on the volume of search results and the workload at the time. If we receive all the information about your invention ...

What happens after a patent is filed?

After filing, the length of time to patent grant depends on whether you begin with a provisional or a non-provisional patent application in the United States .

How long does a non provisional patent need to be filed?

Instead, a non-provisional patent application must be filed within one year of the filing date of the provisional application, in order to claim the benefit of the provisional application filing date. In the case that you file a provisional and then file a provisional on the one year anniversary date of the filing of the provisional, ...

Do you have to wait until you get a patent to patent your invention?

While your patent application is pending (after the patent application is filed but before the patent is granted) you will have patent pending status. You are not required to wait until you obtain a patent to start exploiting (making, marking, selling, licensing, etc.) your invention.

How long does it take to get a patent?

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the average time it takes to get a patent is about 25 months. If you want to expedite the process you can pay an extra fee ($1000-$4000) to the USPTO to get prioritized examination utility patents you can cut the time down to 6 to 12 months. A good patent attorney can help you ...

How many actions does a patent need to get before it can be filed?

Typically a patent application gets 2-3 Office actions before it gets allowed. This is because the Examiner at the USPTO may require you to identifying how your invention is different, clarify the scope of your invention, and/or change how many inventive features you are claiming.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Design Patent?

You may be wondering, “How long does it take to get a design patent?” A typical design patent will take between one and three years for approval. This may depend on whether the design is issued instantly, whether there is a dispute with the USPTO, or if modification for formal issues is required.

What Is a Design Patent?

The United States Patent and Trademark Office grants patents for legal rights to a specific design. Once granted, a design patent can provide you with exclusive rights to sell and manufactures a specific design or "article of manufacture."

When Is a Design Patent Most Useful?

If you think that the design or appearance of your product is unique, and has never been created by others before, a design patent can be extremely useful to protect the design of your product, and to prevent other competitors from mimicking that design in their own products.

How Do Design Patents and Trademarks Differ?

When something has a trademark, it has markings that indicate who it is that makes or sells the product. The purpose of a design patent, on the other hand, is not to identify the company that makes a product but is instead to protect the elements of the design. A design patent must be a new design that has never been used before.

How Do Design and Utility Patents Differ?

Utility patents typically differ from design patents in that they are much wider in scope. A utility patent can be used to protect almost any idea as long as it is new and has not been patented. Some of the common types of items protected with a utility patent include:

What Is the Relationship Between a Design Patent and an Industrial Design?

While the industrial designs of many companies operating in countries outside the U.S. are protected by those countries' legal systems, the U.S. does not have a system that protects industrial designs. In the United States, design patents are used to provide design protection.

How Many Designs Does One Application Cover?

Unlike many European companies, the United States only allows one design per patent application. Sometimes, small variations of a design might be allowed on the same patent but this does not occur often.

How many figures are needed for a patent?

As part of your design patent application, you must attach at least 7 figures showing the design you want to patent. All 7 of these figures must be isometric (3D) and you must includes photos of the front, back, left side, right side, top, and bottom. You can add more photos if the figures don’t completely cover how the design looks. Similar to utility patents, you can just take photos of the design, you have to comply with the USPTO drawing requirements. The best way to comply with these requirements is to go a person who is familiar with the USPTO drafting requirements to draft the figures that meet their requirements.

How are trademarks different from design patents?

Trademarks are different from design patents in that trademarks are used to identify the source of goods or services. Whereas design patents are not used to identify the source of goods or services, but rather to protect the design itself.

What is utility patent?

Utility patents are typically used to protect the functional aspects of invention. Utility patents can be used to protect a variety of ideas that include processes, business methods, machines, software, and pharmaceuticals.

Can you patent a design?

You cannot patent what is merely a design. For example, applying the design to a shirt or a canvas will satisfy the requirement of applying it to an article of manufacture.

Can you reassemble a patent?

That said, you can “reassemble” or “rearrange” familiar designs to create your new design. You are basically trying to satisfy the requirement that your design is new and nonobvious (not already known).

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How Long & How Much to Get A Patent?

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The short answer is it takes about 22-30 months and costs about $12,000-$14,000. Before you abandon all hope, read below to find out more about the patent process. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the average time it takes to get a patent is about 25 months. If you want to expedite the proce…
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Patent Searching & Analysis

  • This step is optional, but it can help you understand what other inventions are out there, what may be novel/unique about your invention and if you may be infringing some else's patent.
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Prepare A Patent Application

  • If the patent search turns up nothing, you're ready to draft a patent application. It usually takes an attorney 2 to 4 weeks depending on the attorney's workload, the complexity of the invention, how much information is provided from the applicant, and any changes necessary.
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Office Actions

  • An office action is a rejection from the patent office indicating that your patent is not patentable because it is not novel or is obvious compared to previous inventions. As life is full of rejections, don't get too worried if your patent application gets rejected. Typically a patent application gets 2-3 Office actions before it gets allowed. This is because the Examiner at the USPTO may require …
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Abandonment Or Allowance

  • After you have gone a few rounds with the Office action you typically get a pretty good idea if your patent application will be allowable you should be abandoned. If you abandoned your patent application, it doesn't cost you anything. If your patent application gets allowed, it usually takes a couple months once you get the notice and cost about $800.
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Maintenance Fees

  • If your patent application gets allowed and issue into a patent, then the USPTO charges maintenance fees for up to 11.5 years after issues if you want to keep your patent active. You pay the first fee of $800 at 3.5 years after the patent issues, the second fee of $1800 at 7.5 years, and the third fee of $3,700 at 11.5 years. Depending on the patent and the invention you may decide …
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Why Does It Take So Long and Cost So Much?

  • At any given time, the USPTO has hundreds of thousands of patent applications being examined. In 2012, 542,815 applications were filed. As of 2014, there were only 7,966 examiners and a backlog of 604,692 patent applications. With the amount of examination required, this causes longer wait times. High-traffic fields such as computer software have even longer wait times. Al…
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